55% of PCs are using outdated applications, says Avast

Avast warned the world about a security threat that needs more attention than people expected. The Avast 2019 PC Trends Report by the digital security giant reveals that over 55% of personal computers in the world are using outdated applications, thereby posing a major security threat to user data.

Avast 2019 PC Trends Report

After inspecting data from 163 million devices worldwide, Avast curated a list of popular apps that most users neglect to update. Adobe Shockwave is at the top with 96% users running outdated versions. VLC Media Player and Skype follow close behind with 94% users ignoring updates and risking their virtual data. These are some of the most common of applications found on computers.

The report explained that outdated versions of popular applications result in high exposure to hackers because of the absence of a timely security patch. The report also contains further details comparing user trends for different operating systems, devices, and applications. It was found that 15% Windows 7 users ignore updates and 9% Windows 10 users ignore updates.

More people are switching to Windows 10, which currently runs on 40% personal computers worldwide. 67% users have opted for mobile devices like tablets and laptops over desktops.

Avast’s CTO, GM, and working President, Ondrej Vlcek expressed his concerns about the changing trend of PC users. A growing preference for laptops combined with increasing negligence of digital security measures is exposing the world to a major cybersecurity threat. Vlcek said:

“Most of us replace our smartphone regularly, but the same cannot be said for our PCs. With the average age of a PC now reaching six years old, we need to be doing more to ensure our devices are not putting us at unnecessary risk.”